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Credit & Copyright: Noel Munford
(Palmerston North Astronomical Society, New Zealand)
Explanation:
After last month's dramatic swoop past the
Sun, Comet NEAT (C/2002 V1)
appeared as a naked-eye comet,
emerging from the evening twilight in planet Earth's southern skies.
On March 1st,
New Zealand photographer Noel Munford captured this telephoto view of
the outbound comet close to the southwestern horizon
against the faint stars of the constellation
Sculptor.
He reports that the picture is a good representation of the comet's
visual appearance on that date and estimates the impressive tail to be
five or six degrees long.
Discovered
last November as part of the
Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking
program, there was some speculation that this comet would not
survive its close encounter with the Sun.
However, Comet NEAT is now
returning to
the outer solar system,
diving
southward and fading fast.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Comet NEAT
Publications with words: Comet NEAT
See also: